Machine for



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

-A.. R. SPROUT.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING FASTENERS T0 HO0Ps..

No. 293,918. Patented Feb. 19, 1884 x A3 H E.. e

V Vz'tnesses Atwr n ey.

N. Firms Pmmmm mr. Wnhmgm ac.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. R.'SPROUT.

MAGHINE'FOR APPLYING FASTENERS TO HOOPS.

Patented Feb, 19, 1884..

Inventor Attorney.

N, PETERS. Phmlimbgraphcr. Washmpnm DSC.

NITED STATES A'TENT irmen.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING FASTENERS TO HOOPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,918, dated February 19, 1884.

Application filed July '7, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, A. RENSSELAER SPROUT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Picture Rocks, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ma chines for Applying Fasteners to Hoops, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

' My invention relates to a machine for applying metal fasteners to wooden hoops.

The invention consists in certain novel parts and combinations of parts, which are hereinafter first described and, then claimed.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the means to feed the wire from the reel. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the machine, showing the same without the wire feeding and cutting mechanism. Fig. 5

" is a top view of the two-armed shear-jaw 1e ver. Fig. 6 is a top View of the means for tightly wrapping the wire about the hoop. Fig. 7 is another view of the same. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the right-angle jointed sinker. Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are views showing the shape assumed by-the fastener at the diiferentstages.

At the rear part of the table A is a standard, B, which supports a reel, B, on which the wire I) is wrapped. Any shaped wire may be used, such as round, square, fiat, or oval. From this wire the hoop-fasteners are made. Near the front part of the table is an eye or guide, 0, (shown in section in Fig. 2,) through which the wire passes after leaving the reel. Just in front of the guide is a devicejo cut the wire. I employ certain means to feed the wire from the reel through the guide to the cutting device in lengths sufficient to make a fastener. This feeding means consists of a large roller, D, and a small one, E, the former mounted between standards 0 above the latter. The large roller has a groove, d, on its face, while the small one has a plain face. Each roller has on one side a cog-wheel, D and E, which mesh with each other. Ahand-lever, F, pivoted on the shaft which supports the large roller, carries a pawl, e, which engages with the large cog-wheel D. The wire (indicated by a broken line, f) passes from the reel between the large and small rollers, which thereby grip the wire. It will now be understood that when lever F is pushed back by the hand in the direction indicated by the arrow, the two rollers which grip the wire will be partly turned, and thereby the wire will be forced or fed forward.

The guide 0, before referred to, is a metal block having a bore or passage of some length for the wire to pass, and in its passage through this'guide the wire which was coiled or wound on the reel is straightened. The means to cut the wire after it has been fed forward consists of the lower stationary shear-plate, g, immediately in front of the guide 0, and the upper movable shearj aw g. This upper shear-jaw is on the front end of a two-armed lever, G, which is pivoted near the shear-jaw. One of the two arms extends on each side of and past the standards 0, and the rear ends of said two arms are connected by a cross-rod, {1 A right-angled hand-lever, G, is pivoted on the shaft which supports the large roller. The upright arm of this lever is employed as the operating-arm to work the cutter, while the horizontal arm is connected to the cross-rod g of the two-armed lever by a link, Thus the shear-jaw is worked by a compound lever. In practice, then, a movement of the lever F serves to feed the wire forward to the cutter, anda movement of the lever G serves to cut the wire. Thereby a length of wire sufficient to make one hoop-fastener is cut.

The means for tightly wrapping the out piece of wire about the hoop consists of the following: First, two hook-shaped sinkers, H, above the table have vertical shanks, which pass through slots h in the table. As seen in Fig. 8, both of these shanks are connected to a rod, H, by two joints, one working at right angles to the other. The upper joints, h, allow the two hook-shaped sinkers to spread apart or come together, while the lower j oints, 7)., allow the hook-sinkers a certain amount of play in a direction between the front and rear. A curved spring, h is secured on each side of the rod H, and each one of the springs bears against one of the shanks of the hooksinkers, and keeps them pressed normally together. The lower end of the rod H is connected to a treadle, H which is provided at one end with a weight, H for the purpose of keeping the hook-sinkers normally elevated. The upper end of the rod H is branched or bifurcated, and a horizontal hand-lever, 1, passes between the branches. When a wooden hoop with its ends lapped is placed under the two hook-shaped sinkers, as shown in Fig. 4, and indicated in Fig. 8 by broken lines, and the piece of wire which has been cut off to make a fastener is in position on top of the two recessed wire-wrapping jaws I I and extending across the outerside of the hoop, a. depression of the treadle H? will cause the two hooks to sink the hoop and piece of wire, and results in each end of the latter being bent up to the shape shown in Fig. 9. During this operation the two hook-shaped jaws are close together, as seen in Figs. 6 and 8. The advantage of the lower joint, if, in the shank is brought into play in this connection. When the treadle is depressed, the two hooks press on top of the hoop, and as there are irregularities in the wood, and one edge of the hoop may be thicker than the other, this joint h affords such play as will adapt the hook to set on the hoop, notwithstanding its irregularities of surface.

Two jaws, I I, having in their confronting faces right-angled recesses i, are adapted to wrap or fold the upward-bent ends of the wire across the inner side of the hoop from the shape shown in Fig. 9 to the shape shown in Fig. 10. Thus the hook-shaped sinkers and the jaws with right-angled recesses in their confronting faces comprise the means for tightly wrapping the wire-fastener about the hoop. The jaw I has a screw-threaded shank, 7c, and an internally-threaded thumb-knob, k, which is so fitted in a stationary box, 78, as to permit it to turn around the said shank, but not to advance, the result of course being that the jaw itself may be moved forward or back-that is, toward or away from the other jaw. A setscrew, Z, on top of the box may be tightened to retain the .jaw I in the desired position. This jaw I, therefore, is practically a stationary jaw, but adapted to be adjusted when it is desired to make hoops of greater or less width. The jaw I has a reciprocating movement toward and away from its coacting jaw. The movement toward the jaw is effected by depressing the horizontal hand-lever 1 which curves upward through the table and is 'pivoted at m, and is connected to the reciprocating jaw by a link, a. A branch of this lever proj ectsdownward at the rear, and has aweight, I, which has the effect to keep the hand end of the lever up and the jaw I away from the other jaw. When the jaw 1" moves toward the other jaw, it separates or presses apart the two hook-shaped jaws, as seen in Fig. 7. It

can readily do this, because each hook-shaped jaw has on the side adjoining the other a lateral flange with a rear inclining edge, 1). (See Figs. 6 and 7.)

When the fastener is on the hoop and has the shape shown in Fig. 10, it is then removed from the jaws, and whilethe hands of the operator are still grasping the hoop, the hoop and fastener are placed between the j aws of the press It, to compress the fastener to the shape shown in Fig. 11, which is the finishing operation.

The upper jaw, q, maybe vertically adjusted in the standard, and the shank of the lower jaw, g, has vertical movement in the guides s. A lever, t, having two arms, is pivoted at u. The short arm of this lever constitutes part of an elbow-joint, 1), directly connected to the lower end of the shank of the lower jaw. The end of the long arm is jointed to a vertical rod, R, whose lower end connects with a treadle, R having a weight, R It will be seen that when the treadle R is depressed the jaw q is caused to rise, and thereby compress the fastener.

The desideratum which is accomplished by the machine herein described is that the wire or flexible metal fastener may be very tightly wrapped about the lapped ends of awood hoop.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a machine for applying flexible metal fasteners to hoops, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a pair of sinkers having shanks with two joints, one at a right angle to the other, whereby the sinker is adapted to yield to the irregularities of the wood, and means to tightly wrap the flexible metal about the lapped ends of the hoop.

2. In a machine for applying flexible metal I fasteners to hoops, the combination, substantially as set forth, of means to depress or sink the hoop upon the flexible metal, and a pair of jaws having in their confronting faces a right-angled recess, whereby to wrap the metal about the lapped ends of the hoop.

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of means to feed and cut the flexible metal into given lengths, a pair of jaws having an opening and closing movement in a given direction, and another pair of jaws having a movement in a direction at right angles thereto.

4. The combination, substantially as set forth, of means to feed and cut the flexible metal into given lengths, means to depress or sink the hoop upon the flexible metal, and a pair ofjaws having in their confronting faces a right-angled recess.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presenceof two witnesses.

A RENSSELAER SPItOUT. 

